Tobacco-press.



J. R. MAXWELL.

TOBACCO PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED mm: 13, 1911. RENEWED JAN. 14, 1914.

1,088,604. Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

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J. R. MAXWELL.

TOBACCO PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1911. RENEWED JAN.14, 1914.

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TOBACCO PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE13, 1911. RENEWED JAN. 14, 1914. 1,088,604.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

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JAMES R. MAXWELL, OF REIDSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

TOBACCO-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

llatented Feb. 2d, 1914..

Application filed June 13, 1911, Serial No. 632,847. Renewed January 14,1914. Serial No. 812,160.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. MAXWELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reidsville, in the county of Rockingham and State of NorthCarolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tobacco- Presses,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tobacco presses and more particularly to thattype which is specifically adapted for compressing individual plugs ofchewing tobacco.

The object of the invention is the provision 01" means for controllingthe separate members, whereby a continuous operation may be conducted sothat while one plug is being compressed another plug may be removed fromthe press and additional tobacco added thereto for a second operation.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novelcompression chamber wherein certain of the walls of the compressionchamber may be operated to release the plug, after compression, andwherein these walls may be held in operative posi tion duringcompression.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the following specificdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, whichform a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 is an elevationof the twin presses. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detailed side elevation of the device. Fig. 4 isa sectional view taken through the valve. Fig. 5 is a similar viewlooking in the opposite direction. Fig. 6 is a detail vertical. sectionthrough one wall of the compression chamber. Fig. 7 is a detail verticalsectional view taken through one of the compression boxes.

Referring more particularly to the acoompanying drawings, 1 represents atable which is preferably supported above the floor upon suitable legs 2and has depending from the i'lnderneath side thereof a pair of cylinders3 and 4. These cylinders each have pistons 5 and 6 mounted therein whichare connected to the cross-heads 7 and 8, these cross-heads beingconnected together by links 9 and a rock lever 10 pivoted in its center,as at 11, upon a cross brace carried by the supporting legs 2. The rocklever and the links connect the separate cylinders so that as one istraveling out of the cylinder under pressure, the other is travelinginto the cylinder and forcing the motive fluid out of the same. Eachcrosshead extends beyond the sides 01' the cylinder and has mounted inits ends vertically disposed parallel rods 12 and 13 which extend upthrough bearings 1st in the table 1, and are connected. at their upperends by a cross-head 15.

In order to operate the pistons in the cylinder and the rods and cross-heads, suitable supply pipes 16 and 17 are led to the cylinders 3and 4 respectively from a valve casing 18 which has an ordinary rotaryvalve 19 mounted therein with a recess 20 formed in its underside, asshown in Fig. 2. A lever or handle 21 is connected to rotate the valveand when the same is turned to the left, in Fig. 2, the feed pipe 17 isin communication with the supply 22, while the feed pipe 16 is connectedthrough the port 20 to the exhaust pipe 23. When the handle is turned tothe right, in Fig. 3, the recess 20 is arranged to connect the pipes 17and 23 and the pipe 16 is in communication with the supply 22. It willtherefore be seen that the operating fluid passes into them to operatethe piston in one direction and passes out of them to the exhaust whenthe opposite piston is operated and the first piston brought to initialposition by the rock lever 10.

Mounted upon the table is a tobacco box or compression box whichcomprises a base 24, sides 25 and 26 and ends 27 and 28. The sides 25are provided with vertically movable hook members 29 which have projecting studs 30 thereon. The hook portion of the members lies in a recessin the bottom 01 box so as to be arranged beneath the plug of tobaccoand the studs lie in the path 01 pivoted levers 31 carried on, andmovable with, the connecting rods 12. These levers are provided withoilset rollers 32 which are adapted to contact with projections 32 onthe sides 2.), when the hook members have raised the plug about twoinches and release the levers from the hook members.

The ends 28 of each of the boxes are hinged upon transverse shafts 33which are provided with crank arms 3 1- at one end. These crank arms areconnected t-ln'ough links to collars 86 which slide upon the rods 13 asthe same are carried downwardly by the action of the pistons. The weightof the doors 28 is such that they will be normally thrown to theposition shown in dotted lines'in Fig. 7 and in order to operate them sothat they may be used for closing the compression chamber, spiralsprings 37 are interposed between the collars 36 and the set collars 38upon the rods 13. These springs act as the rods are carried clownw'ardlyby the action of the pistons so as to overcome the inertia of the doors,and when the tension of the springs is greater than the weight of thedoors the latter are thrown into vertical position, as shown in fulllines in Fig. 7, to close the compression chamber. Gravity action of thedoors may be supplemented by a stud 39 which engages the upper end ofthe rock lever of each shaft 33, so as to positively throw the doorsinto open position. Attention is called to the fact that in the openposition the doors 2S serve as slide-ways for the entrance of thetobacco into the compression chamber.

The cross-heads 15 carry suitable compression blocks 40 which are of adiameter to fit the compression chamber, when closed. These blocks riseand fall with the movement of the pistons and are raised sufficientlyhigh above the compression chamber for the operator to remove the plugtherefrom when the door is in its open position. When the block reachesits high-estposition, the projecting studs 39 engage the arms 34: on theshafts 33 so that the doors 28 are auto matically thrown to openposition.

For purposes of convenience in describing the operation of the machine,the presses will be designated by A and B and we will assume, forinstance, that the compression block is raised in the press and aquantity of tobacco suflieient to form a plug is placed in thecompression chamber and the handle thrown so that the supply pipe willbe connected with the feed pipe 16. Fluid under pressure, such as water,compressed air or steam, is then admitted to the upper part of thecylinder to act upon the piston and the block is thereby drawn down intothe compression chamber. Before the compression is completed the spring37 on the rod 13 of the press A acts to close the door 28. In themeantime the rock lever 10 has raised the block on the press B and thepiston 6 into the cylinder 4:- By reversing the handle or throwing it inthe opposite direction, the slide 19 is moved so as to connect thesupply pipe 22 to the feed pipe 17. The fluid in the cylinder 3 isthereby permitted to exhaust through the feed pipe 16 and the 6X haustpipe 23 and the live fluid admitted to the cylinder 4t to operate thepiston and draw down the block on the press 13 which has previously hadits compression chamber filled with the required amount of tobacco. Itwill be seen from this that the operation will be continued repeatedlyand that the operation of one press puts the other press into conditionto receive a further supply of tobacco and for a second operation andalso raises the plug so that it can be readily moved.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is z- A tobaccopress comprising a compression box having a movable side, a plungerarranged to operate in the boX, a rod connected to the plunger, meansfor moving the rod, resilient means carried by the rod for moving theside of the compression box and a plug lifter extended into the box, andmeans carried b the rod for operating the plug lifter.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. MAXWELL.

YVitnesses R. L. SNEAD, J. H. MEBLEY.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Gommissioner of Eatents. Washington, D. G.

